Class Representatives Update!

As many of you are no doubt aware, we implemented the Class Representatives system a few weeks ago. The goal if this system was simple: introduce a dialog around each class based on what the community feels their top 3 issues are at the time.

So far the reps have been doing a great job and you all have been providing invaluable feedback to the team. However, today I come with some good and bad news. First, the bad!

Once we have returned the Shadow and Mercenary top 3 which were submitted last week, we will be putting it on hold. I know the first question that comes to mind is, why? This is pretty simple actually. All 8 set of class mirrors have submitted a top 3 to us once after this most recent round.

With that being said, we have not yet made any actual class changes since the initiative began (barring the BH/Trooper changes). Because of this, the second set of top 3 will not really be as impactful since it will likely be a revisit of the same 3 issues that were presented before. Because of that, I am going to put the Class Reps on hold until we start making some class changes again.

This leads us to the good news, right? I know the next question you will ask, based on what I just typed is "when are we getting class changes then?" I have that answer too! You will begin to see class changes in Game Update 2.5. After 2.5 hits, we will reintroduce the Class Reps and allow those reps to once again begin a dialog with the developers on what issues still remain with their classes.

I will also rework the schedule to insure that only classes who received changes at that point are in the front of the schedule. I want to be clear that it is possible that not all classes will see changes in 2.5, but there are definitely some class changes coming. I also want to set the expectation that you shouldn't expect crazy big changes like you saw with 2.0. but it will be a new set of changes. Also, if you don't receive changes in 2.5 don't fret as we will be continually touching class balance.

Last but not least, one thing I want to do is to make sure that you are all informed on both the decisions we are making and why we are making them. To that end, as we get closer to the launch of 2.5 we will be publishing some class change blogs similar to what we did around 2.0. This way you can all be as informed as possible! We will definitely make an effort to stay active in the class forums and keep you all apprised of any updates, as well as making sure we are continuing to pass feedback on the dev team.

I think that about wraps it up. If you have any questions I will stick around in the thread to try to answer them. Hopefully all of my ramblings make sense.

-eric

tldr - Class Rep initiative is on hiatus after the Assassin/Merc answers until our next set of class changes come in 2.5.

Makes sense. When do we expect to get answers from last Fridays round of questions?

Similar to the last round, they will come sometime next week. Still not positive the exact day but I will let you know once I know! I wouldn't expect them until Monday or Tuesday though (potentially later, but def next week).

Unfortunate decision, but understandable. I know that some classes (shadows being a great example) have a boatload of issues that were vying for inclusion in the limited set of three questions. A lot of these issues got tabled with the assumption that they could be raised in the mirror AC question set. We are of course well aware that class changes come and they will have a significant effect on the sorts of questions we want to ask, but we have no guarantee that these issues (some of which are very pressing) would be addressed. In the worst case, the class changes don't address important things that we couldn't ask about, and the delay in the class rep system means we have to wait that much longer to bring the issue to the combat team's attention.

Additionally, there is another outstanding issue: one class is receiving class changes in 2.4 (vanguards/powertechs), and their AC archetype class questions were asked just a few hours before those changes were announced. In other words, class changes have been made, but there has been no opportunity to ask about those changes. The very situation that you're trying to avoid by delaying the class rep schedule is in fact already occurring.

I don't have a better solution for you. I see the rationale behind the delay. I'm just pointing out that not everything is sunshine and daisies.

So...What happened to making class changes for minor patch updates opposed to waiting for major updates? Quite frankly, that seemed like a much better route to go and a great way to make sure necessary tweaks are made to keep a class feeling viable or keeping a class from being over powered for too long.

Right now, I'd say we are waiting for too long to see class changes being made. I'm also damn sure people don't want to wait an extra two months for more classes to be made viable in arenas. Especially in the case of healers where every team will be bringing in an operative healer. Mercs/mandos and sorc/sages just won't be welcome on any ranked arena team.

No plans for PvP...So, I have no plans to invest anymore money into this game.

Right now, I'd say we are waiting for too long to see class changes being made. I'm also damn sure people don't want to wait an extra two months for more classes to be made viable in arenas. Especially in the case of healers where every team will be bringing in an operative healer. Mercs/mandos and sorc/sages just won't be welcome on any ranked arena team.

Heal to Full in our future as Sage/Sorc. Sorry this is really not a great approach to "WAIT" for several months and just "HOPE" they are going to fix things. The "Tweak as you go" model might be more in order IMHO.

I didn't see a "Date" on 2.5 which means it's most likely going to fall into the DEC/JAN time frame.

eric - what rough MONTH do you see 2.5 potentially landing?

I'm not excited about the Combat teams already "no problem, L2p/H2F" commentary. Based on that I really think they don't see a problem, which means Sage/Sorc community will most likely STILL NOT see any changes in 2.5.

So why hang around? I mean if the class is pretty much not going to see any changes its 1.2 happening all over again when Sage/Sorc's got nerfed and nothing with 2.4 carried into 2.5 w/o any real balancing.

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The statements and opinions expressed on these websites are solely those of their respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the views, nor are they endorsed by Bioware, LucasArts, and its licensors do not guarantee the accuracy of, and are in no way responsible for any content on these websites.